Province urged to require nutrition info in high-volume eateries

Midland Mirror

SIMCOE COUNTY – The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit wants Health Minister Deb Matthews to revive an initiative to require high-volume restaurants to include nutrition information on their menus.
A private member’s bill to that effect was scheduled to receive second reading at Queen’s Park in November, but died when Premier Dalton McGuinty resigned and prorogued the legislature.
The board of health recently wrote the minister that nutrition information on menus allows customers to make better decisions when choosing meals.
In a separate resolution, the board also urged the federal government to implement a sodium-reduction strategy that would regulate the amount of salt in pre-packaged food, improve nutrition information on food labels, and require sodium limits in food procurement and purchasing practices of public institutions.
Renee Gaudet, a public health nutritionist, pointed to a New York study that showed customers reduced their caloric intake an average of six per cent per item in establishments that provide calorie information on menu boards.
In Simcoe and Muskoka, heart disease is the leading cause of death. Sixty per cent of adults in the region are overweight or obese. It is known that too much sodium contributes to heart disease, and excess calorie intake contributes to weight gain and obesity.